Fence



(No Model.) 2 Sh.eets8h eet 2.

D. D. FRISBEE.

FENCE.

No. 591,627. Patented Oct. 12, 1897.

jm/enZZr: Wifiwsses: 7 518566, 'Z 4/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL D. FRISBEE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,627, dated October 12, 1897.

Application filed July 6, 1897. Serial No. 643,599. (l lo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL D. FRISBEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to the construction of improvements in wire fences comprising a number of separated wires stretched between posts, connected at intervals by stays or pickets, and having tension devices.

The invention consists in the construction of the tension devices for such fences, all as more particularly hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a section of a fence embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tension device. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a slightly-modified form of tension device. Fig.

' 4 is a perspective view of the picket such as I propose to use.

A represents one of the end and intermediate posts of a section of fence braced by the brace 13, which is tied by the tie O to the bottom of the post.

0 are the fence-wires, and D are the pickets. These pickets I preferably form as shown in Fig. 4. This is made by taking a single wire and forming in it a series of spiral loops E, adapted to engage with the fence-wires and to be locked thereon by bending the loops over the respective fence-wires, as shownin Fig. 4c. The ends of this stay are then twisted around the top and bottom fence-wires, as shown. Such a stay permits the longitudinal movement of all the intermediate fence-wires on their stays, so that proper tension can be put on each wire, originally or in making repairs, in case any wire should be broken. At the same time the wires are firmly held at proper distances apart. The tensioning of the top and bottom wires of course will move the ends of the stays somewhat.

The tension device for each wire is the same, so that a description of one will suffice for all. It is placed usually in the middle of the fence-section. It may be placed at any point therein, and in the drawings I have shown it as placed near one end.

F is a spool or drum having the heads G, the journals H, and the squared end II at one or both ends, as desired. One or both of the heads is provided on its outer face with aseries of ratchet-teeth I.

J is a wire loop having the coils K K formed at its ends, adapted to embrace the journals H. The end a of the coilKbeside the ratchet is turned in, so as to engage therewith and to act as a pawl to lock the spool from retrograde rotary motion. This loop J is connected centrally to one end of the fence-wire, and the other end thereof is connected to the spool F.

The spool, it will be observed, is journaled in bearings formed by the coils in the wire loop and the pawl is formed by the end of one of such coils. The spool and its coiled loop being placed atany point in the length of the fence-wire, connected as described, turning the spool will wind one end of the fence-wire about the spool which turns in the coils, the end a acting as the pawl to lock it against retrograde motion.

With a fence thus constructed I am able to tighten each wire separately, as desired.

The wire loop J may, if desired, be of spring metal and be formed with coils or bends, such as T, so as to take up the expansion and contraction of the fence-wires.

What I claim is- In a fence, the combination with the pickets and the fence-wire supporting the pickets, of a tension device in the fence-wires comprising a spool to which one end of the wire is connected, a loop to which the other adjacent end is connected, coils formed in the loop, bearings on the-ends of the spool with which said coils engage and a ratchet on .the spool adapted to engage with the coil which acts as a pawl.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL 1'). FRISBEE.

Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, B. M. HULBERT. 

